Foolish or silly behavior; actions or speech that shows a lack of good sense, often done for amusement.
From fool plus the Old French suffix '-erie' (meaning practice, behavior, or state). Emerged in Middle English to describe the characteristic behavior of fools, both foolish people and professional entertainers.
Foolery has a strangely noble history—in medieval and Renaissance courts, foolery was a respected profession; jesters used clever foolery to critique power and make observations that serious courtiers couldn't say directly.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.